


Interim

by harrisonwells



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Declarations Of Love, Fluff, M/M, Realization
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-03 03:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10235210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/harrisonwells/pseuds/harrisonwells
Summary: Nearly dying is surprisingly good at revealing the important things.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pepperfield](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepperfield/gifts).



> I had a harrisco dream (my first and sadly, my only).  It wasn’t much like this, but it did inspire it.
> 
> thanks to pepperfield for inspiring me to actually work on this old idea and post it! Please go read "chases, escapes, true love, miracles" by them!
> 
> and thank you SO much to Sarah (strivia.tumblr.com) for being my beta, coming up with the summary, AND the title!

Cisco wakes up in the hospital bed off of the cortex with no idea what happened, though he has a sense that it’s Bad.  Everything seems to hurt on some level.  He wiggles his toes experimentally.  Well, there’s that, at least.  Glancing around the room, he sees Harry is asleep in a chair next to the bed.  As usual, his stupid hair is everywhere, and his brow is slightly furrowed.  Even asleep Harry appears exhausted.  
  
Frowning, Cisco wonders what happened.  He has a vague memory of helping Barry out with some meta on the outskirts of Central City, but the more he thinks about it the less he remembers.  
  
Looking over at Harry again, Cisco is touched that he’s even there.  The thought of Harry waiting for him to wake up leads Cisco’s thoughts into territory he probably shouldn’t be exploring.  But he does anyway.  He can’t imagine Harry ever feeling the same way about him, but little things like this make Cisco wonder.  He’d been mentally cataloging them for several months now.  Nice comments.  Harry actually saying please or thank you (and to his disbelief, once both of those were in the same sentence).  Paying for Cisco’s food when he goes on a Big Belly Burger run instead of begging for money he never repays.  Lingering touches.  Spending a _lot_ of time with him in the workshop… Cisco attempts to put a stop to those thoughts.  He’s probably just overthinking anyway.  He’s all too good at that.  
  
If you were to ask Cisco when it was he fell in love with Harry, he could tell you the exact moment it happened.  
  
——  
  
It was during one of their arguments, of all things.  Not even about anything worthwhile like how best to help Barry or how to improve Cisco’s vibing skills or whose name for the latest meta was better.  (Cisco absolutely hates that Harry cheats and picks names of metas from Earth-2 instead of going for something, you know, _original_.)  But no, it was an argument over where Cisco left one of his tools in the workshop.  In the wrong spot, apparently.  He reminded Harry that this space was his own, to which Harry stated they’ve been sharing it.  Cisco pointed out that it had never been by choice since Harry just moved his annoying ass right in from day one.  It went on from there.  
  
Cisco had known he had feelings for Harry for quite some time then, but like the present, he tried not to think much of them.  He knew nothing was ever going to come of it, so entertaining them was a pointless exercise.  However, mid-rant from Harry—who had been pacing the room—it hit him; he loved the asshole known as Harry Wells.  
  
Harry had turned and started back in Cisco’s direction, but stopped when he caught the expression on Cisco’s face.  “What?” He'd asked, and it was when Cisco opened his mouth to reply that he realized he'd been smiling.  “Huh?  Oh, nothing,” was all he replied.  A furious blush lit his face at the thought of Harry having any clue about what he was thinking.  He’d had nothing witty to say after that, so he’d just waved Harry off, turning around to work on the computer.  He tried to hide behind his hair but knew it probably wasn’t fooling Harry.  Oddly enough, Harry let it go with only an eyeroll.  Amazing.  
  
For the rest of the day, Cisco had been trying to avoid Harry (which, if he was being honest, was impossible in the small workroom).  Problem:  The item he’d needed at that exact moment was on a shelf near Harry.  And so Cisco fiddled around, pretending to be busy, until Harry had his back turned away from the drawing board.  He’d tried to sneak by as quietly as he could, but when Cisco had gotten the item he was looking for and turned around, he almost walked right into Harry.  “Um,” he’d said to Harry’s chest.  Harry didn’t move.  
  
He had looked up at Harry, who was peering at him as if Cisco were a problem he was searching for a solution to.  “I’ll just…“ Cisco trailed off, practically scurrying back to his workbench after he’d squeezed past Harry.  After that, he swore he’d noticed Harry watching him through the clear board he was writing equations on.  But whenever he’d take a proper look, Harry would be scribbling away, seemingly paying him no attention.  Cisco wasn’t able to concentrate for the rest of the day, his thoughts full of messy hair, blue eyes, and scowls.  
  
——  
  
After getting lost in various thoughts—including pondering the extent of his feelings for Harry—he tentatively decides to sit up.  The movement causes him to wince.  Ugh.  Well, that hurt.  He’s happy that he doesn’t feel dizzy at least.  So far so good, Cisco does a quick catalog of his injuries.  Toes work, he already knows.  He’s only a little scraped up but he feels bruised all over.  His back hurts like a bitch, which leaves him wondering just how long he’s been laying here. Or if it could be due to an unpleasant landing when he got the injuries in question. Knowing his luck it's probably a bit of both.  He swings his legs out from under the blanket and over the side of the bed, letting them dangle.  It feels much nicer, even if it hurts a little bit more.  
  
The bed makes a small noise as Cisco shifts, waking Harry. The older man practically launches himself out of the chair, hands finding their way to Cisco's shoulders.  "Ramon, you almost died, you need to—“  
  
"Relax, Harry, I'm just sitting up,” Cisco interrupts, smiling up at Harry, who is wearing his traditional frown.  
  
After a beat, Cisco's brain catches up, processing what Harry just said.  “Wait, what?  I did?”  He gets a nod from Harry in response, and fiddles with his hands. "Oh," is all he manages to formulate in response.  He’s nearly died several times before, but this… the last near miss he had was when he still thought of his feelings for Harry as a stupid crush he’d be quickly getting over.  
  
He’s busy thinking over some of his options when Harry realizes his hands are still on Cisco's shoulders.  He starts to pull them away quickly, saying something, but Cisco doesn’t notice what exactly that is.  Because in that instant, Cisco makes his choice.  He catches one of Harry's hands, effectively halting his words, and turns it over in his grip. Harry's gone very still.  Cisco loves these hands.  
  
“Harry—“ he starts, then stops.  He looks up at Harry, who is watching him carefully.  Cisco makes a decision.  
  
He stands up, groaning.  Not having been on his feet for who knows how long now, he nearly collapses back onto the bed, but Harry catches his upper arms, holding him steady.  "Ramon."  Cisco can tell Harry’s going for “annoyed”, but he can see the worry written plainly all over Harry’s face.  
  
"I'm fine.  Really."  Harry looks dubious, opening his mouth to argue. He only gets out half a word before Cisco quickly puts his finger over Harry's lips.  Harry shuts up, obviously not expecting that at all.  Cisco studies Harry’s face.  Ignoring the pain caused by his stretching, Cisco reaches up toward Harry’s forehead.  He moves his fingers along Harry’s brow, watching the path they take.  Running his hand through Harry’s hair, Cisco looks him in the eyes.  Harry’s looking at Cisco as if he doesn’t know what to make of him.  
  
Cisco takes a deep breath.  “Harry,” is all he says, moving his hand to the back of Harry's neck before pulling him down.  “I want—“ he starts, looking between Harry’s mouth and his eyes.  He gives Harry time to pull away if he wants to, but when he doesn't, Cisco closes the distance, kissing Harry gently.  Harry responds immediately and after a moment, Harry deepens the kiss, wrapping his arms around Cisco.  Cisco involuntarily hisses in pain, breaking them apart.  
  
Harry quickly pulls away, apologizing profusely.  Cisco sits back down.  "Harry.  It's okay, really.”  With a small smile he adds, “I mean, I started it.”  After a moment, Harry nods.  
  
”What was that for, anyway?" Harry asks quietly, looking uncertain.  As if by asking it's going to take the kiss away.  
  
"You were sitting by my bed."  
  
Harry tilts his head slightly in confusion, which prompts Cisco to continue.  "I knew it had to be pretty bad for you to be waiting while I slept.  You said I almost died."  Harry's quiet, waiting.  
  
Cisco sits there, thinking, unsure of how to let this all out without babbling.  Finally, ”Harry.  I know you care about me.  In your own way."  Harry's gaze drops to the floor.  
  
"Laying there…”  Cisco sighs.  “I realised I didn't want to miss—” he pauses.  Harry looks up.  Cisco gestures between them.  “This.”  Harry’s eyes follow the movement intently  “Harry, you have to know," Cisco says softly, sounding a bit sad.  He cannot believe this is happening.  This was a part of himself he’d never intended to share.    
  
Harry swallows but doesn't say anything for awhile.  He picks at his hands.  Then, quietly, "I know."  
  
Cisco fiddles nervously with the hem of his shirt, heart beating wildly. He manages to ask, "And—and do you?"  Clearing his throat, he adds, “Feel the same."  
  
Harry hesitates.  It feels like an eternity before Harry says, “Yes."  
  
Cisco breaks out into a wide grin.  “Really?”  
  
Harry rolls his eyes.  “Yes, Ramon, really.”  
  
He pokes Harry in the chest.  “Are you going to start calling me ‘Cisco’ now?”  
  
Harry makes a face and swats Cisco’s hand away in response.  Cisco will take that as a “no”.  
  
Carefully moving his legs back onto the bed, Cisco scoots closer to the edge and pats the empty space.  
  
Harry gets the hint and walks around the bed, sitting where Cisco’s hand was.  Cisco gives him a look and gestures for him to lay down.  Which he does, laying on his side so he's facing Cisco.  Harry’s got this kind of dopey look on his face that Cisco thinks he’ll make fun of him for later.  For now he just smiles softly, touching Harry's face again; this time tracing his worry lines.  Cisco moves onto Harry’s crow’s feet, feeling like there’s a whole other life there; a time when Harry smiled and laughed often.  Cisco smiles softly at the thought that Harry thinks he imagined it.  
  
“I’m just gonna—“ Cisco takes Harry’s hand and yawns like he hasn’t slept in days.  He moves their arms up so he can rest his head on their hands.  Ordinarily Harry probably would have pointed out to Cisco that he has a perfectly good pillow.  He doesn't though, now isn't exactly ordinarily.  
  
Harry reaches out with his other hand and touches Cisco's hair, tucking a lock behind his ear.  It's as soft as Harry always thought it looked.  
  
Yawning again, Cisco shifts closer to Harry, who gently wraps his free arm around him and pulls Cisco in.  Satisfied, Cisco closes his eyes, already starting to drift off.  Harry smiles fondly at Cisco and kisses his temple.  
  
Pressing their foreheads together, he listens as Cisco’s breathing evens out.  Soon, he’s fast asleep, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Caitlin totally took a picture.


End file.
